As Steven DeKnight, creator of the show Spartacus, noted: Power and sex were intertwined in ancient Rome, particularly in same-sex situations. He gave the future leader of Rome the unflattering epithet of “every woman’s man and every man’s woman.” This was a fairly common trope of the time, hinting that an honorable Roman youth could easily be corrupted by Eastern, effeminizing influences (in this case, by being penetrated by an older, foreign king).Ĭurio, a contemporary statesman, decried Caesar’s episodes of adultery and impudicitia (meaning unchastity). National Museum of American History A sketch of Nicomedes, Julius Caesar’s rumored lover.Ĭontemporary writer Cicero even noted: “The virginity of the one sprung from Venus was lost in Bithynia.”Ĭaesar reportedly dawdled so long in the foreign kingdom that he was even dubbed “the queen of Bithynia,” again underscoring that his rumored affair put him in the position of the receptive partner. He was essentially a perfect symbol of lovely Roman manhood. However, he was known as a young man for his foppish beauty.Īccording to Kelly Olson’s article “Masculinity, Appearance, and Sexuality: Dandies in Roman Antiquity,” Julius Caesar had soft white skin, dainty, elegant fingers, and plucked all unwanted hair. In our mind’s eye, Julius Caesar is forever a stern middle-aged man, with a halo of hair crowning an imperial bald spot. Brilliant and ambitious as a young man, his star was clearly on the rise. In the marble palaces of power, Julius Caesar was anything but ordinary. And Julius Caesar was rumored to have broken several of them. Today, ancient Rome is often imagined as a land of promiscuity and sometimes perversion (thanks to figures like Nero and Caligula), but there were still sexual rules in Rome. However, it was Caesar’s taste in partners and sexual positions that scandalized Rome and threatened to cause lasting damage to his reputation. Bisexuality was more or less the norm during that era.
This wouldn’t have been a cause for concern among his contemporaries. Is it any wonder that her illustrious heir, a man whose last name would be a title for emperors millennia after his death, was said to have a similar sway with both sexes?Īs a powerful man in ancient Rome, Julius Caesar probably had sexual experiences with both men and women. His divine ancestor is often depicted in the throes of passion, entrancing suitors far and wide. Julius Caesar claimed godly blood as a descendant of Venus. Wikimedia Commons Julius Caesar was known for being a lover and a fighter.